4 More Deaths in Latest Kashmir Protests

At least four more people have been killed in Indian-controlled Kashmir, as thousands of anti-India protesters took to the streets in defiance of a curfew and police warnings.

Police say at least two men were killed Tuesday when security forces opened fire to quell demonstrations in Srinagar, the region's main city. The Associated Press reports a third protester was killed in clashes with police outside Srinagar. Another demonstrator died from injuries sustained in weekend clashes.

At least 43 people have been killed in recent weeks, most of them by security forces trying to disperse protests against Indian rule.

On Tuesday, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi expressed concern at the escalation of violence in Kashmir. He called on the Indian government to exercise restraint in the region.

Human rights group Amnesty International called for the Indian security forces to stop using live ammunition as they try to disperse the protests.

The Indian government rushed at least 1,900 more paramilitary troops to Kashmir Tuesday to help contain the violence. The chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir state, Omar Abdullah, had requested the federal help during a meeting with the Indian prime minister.

The demonstrations were triggered by last month's death of a 17-year-old student who was killed when police fired a tear gas shell at protesters.

Muslim separatists in Kashmir have been fighting for independence from India or a merger with Muslim-majority Pakistan for more than 20 years.

Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan, but claimed in its entirety by both. The two nuclear-armed neighbors have fought two wars over the Himalayan region.